Borealis leads Sweden-based chemical recycling project

Borealis has commenced a new project to secure an increased supply of chemically recycled feedstock for the production of more circular base chemicals and polyolefin-based products.

A feasibility study for a chemical recycling unit to be established at the Borealis production location in Stenungsund, Sweden, is now underway.

Funded in part by a grant awarded by the Swedish Energy Agency, the study is being carried out with project partner Stena Recycling. Operations are expected to begin in 2024.

The unit will help accelerate the transformation to plastics circularity by enabling the replacement on a larger scale of fossil-based feedstock by integrating more chemically recycled feedstock via the mass balance model.

Borealis will also co-operate independently with Fortum Recycling and Waste on a project involving the sourcing of plastic waste to the chemical recycling unit. Fortum will apply for public funding for a feasibility study to this end. 

Lucrèce Foufopoulos, Borealis Executive Vice President Polyolefins, Innovation and Technology and Circular Economy Solutions, said: “In the true spirit of EverMinds, we accelerate action to plastics circularity through collaboration. The co-operation with Stena and Fortum allows us to offer our customers and partners virgin-like polyolefins from chemically recycled post-consumer waste.”